Evening Roundup, January 23
Featuring: Andrew Weissmann with Jen Rubin; Meredith Blake; Alan Light; The Contrarian's Most Deplorable; Marissa Rothkopf; The Pet of the Week; Democracy Movement & The Pod
Days Trump’s DOJ has been illegally withholding all non-exempt, unclassified Epstein files: 35
Running total of cash and gifts amassed by Trump and his family since his second inauguration: $$1,834,128,760 (and counting)
Jack Smith Reminds us What Real Prosecutors Sound Like
Yesterday, former special counsel Jack Smith testified before the House Judiciary Committee to defend his investigations into Trump’s meddling in the 2020 presidential election. Smith secured two indictments against Trump regarding the attempted overthrow of that election, but failed to fully prosecute him…
Oscar Nominations: The Good, the Bad, and the Inexplicable
Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were unveiled Thursday in Los Angeles, and as usual the announcement brought a mixed bag of pleasant surprises and head-scratching oversights.
Lucinda Williams Wants to Push Our Buttons
By Alan Light
In World’s Gone Wrong, the three-time Grammy winner returns to her folk singer and activist roots.
The NFL: A Case Study in Contradiction That Fans Can’t Ignore
By Carron J. Phillips
The league’s habit of mixed messaging is tied to its unparalleled success, which it leverages to its advantage.
A Little Man With Big Fascist Energy
Greg Bovino, the U.S. Border Patrol Commander we like to call Little Soldier Bovino, has been cosplaying a Nazi and spreading terror around the country. His hatred and vile conduct have earned him a place in our Hall of Shame.
Scandinavian-Style Spice Cake
I went to the therapist earlier this week, as one does. Anxiety is my constant companion, and the past few weeks of news have exacerbated it, as it does. My therapist is a nurse-turned-therapist, which perhaps accounts for the attention she gives to my personal health along with my mental well-being — more so than other therapists I’ve had…
The Contrarian Covers the Democracy Movement
Friday: ICE protests in Minnesota, Illinois, and Arizona. Come back Monday for images from Minnesota's ‘A Day of Truth & Freedom’ walkout today and support for it across the country.
Check in every weekday to see protests and resistance nationwide!
Sen. Whitehouse on DHS Funding, Greenland, and more
Greenland, Iceland, or whatever Trump is now calling the name of the country has been spared from U.S. invasion — at least for now. What hasn’t been spared is the quickly deteriorating relationships with NATO allies.
Have a wonderful weekend, Contrarians! Thank you for being with us.
BOMBSHELL REPORT THAT GREENLAND IS REALLY A MONEY GRAB!
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
Yesterday, The Daily Pennsylvanian, the student newspaper of Donald Trump's and Ronald Lauder's alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, reported that:
"Lauder...is credited with first sparking Trump’s interest in Greenland, having pitched the idea to the President several years ago. His recent investment in the territory coincides with a White House effort to frame United States control of the island as imperative to national security interests...
"During his first term in office, Trump dedicated research to the potential annexation of Greenland after Lauder proposed the idea. At the time, Lauder even volunteered to serve as a “back channel” for negotiations with Denmark regarding the sale....Ronald Lauder has made significant investments across the Danish territory....
"According to Danish news outlet Politiken, Lauder — the sole heir of $29 billion cosmetics company Estée Lauder — recently invested in a Greenlandic freshwater bottling company. His new partners include Jørgen Wæver Johansen, the husband of Greenland’s foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt, and businessman Svend Hardenberg....
"Lauder and his colleagues in the investor group have a very good understanding of and access to the luxury market," Hardenberg said on the investments.
"Lauder is reportedly a member of the American investment group Greenland Development Partners, which has a stake in several projects across the territory.
"In February 2025, Lauder defended Trump in a New York Post column: “Trump’s Greenland concept was never absurd — it was strategic,” he wrote. “I have worked closely with Greenland’s business and government leaders for years to develop strategic investments there, even as the Biden administration, unsurprisingly, ignored and underestimated its vast opportunity....Lauder added that Greenland’s natural resources and strategic positioning make it “America’s next frontier.”
These disclosures add further evidence that Trump's threats and efforts to "own" Greenland are driven more by profits and protecting those profits than by our own national security.
They also add significant credence to the prospect that the $1 billion a piece that Trump is seeking from countries or their business communities for his supposed "Board of Peace" are not, in fact, mere contributions in furtherance of restoring peace in GAZA , as was reported to be one of the purposes, but rather investments for high rates of return.
One of the stated purposes of this Board is to pursue the "reconstruction" of Gaza, and I think that we vividly recall Jared Kushner's proposal to convert Gaza into a luxury resort on the sea. Whoever may be paid to do the reconstruction and whoever may profit by it, we can be sure that there is money to be made there.
The full article , by Luke Petersen and Riana Mahtani, may be found at:
https://www.thedp.com/article/2026/01/penn-trump-greenland-ronald-lauder-donor-financial-ties?utm_source=Newsletters&utm_campaign=c177a5071a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_01_22_10_56&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-c177a5071a-353398753
"Days Trump’s DOJ has been illegally withholding all non-exempt, unclassified Epstein files: 35
Running total of cash and gifts amassed by Trump and his family since his second inauguration: $$1,834,128,760 (and counting)"
Thank you for keeping up on these figures, but what is being done to put an end to their escalation?
On another tack, it seems that at least for now TACO-in-chief has vascillated on the militant acquisition of Greenland. Let's hope that remains the case.